President’s Trophy won by Hounds who top scored in contest

AFTER their winter break the members of the Hinckley Air Rifle League convened at the Hinckley Working Men’s Club to compete for the Presidents’ Trophy and to raise money for the League’s chosen charity, the local air ambulance service.

The contest was open to each of the League’s ten teams (‘though three weren’t represented) with a format that required each shooter to have five shots at a standard bell target with ‘clean’ bulls being awarded 5.1, giving a maximum possible gun score of 178.5 from each team’s seven counting scores.

Each team’s total would then have a handicap added based on their average league scores in order to give all teams, regardless of league position, a chance at winning. An additional complication was that at least two of each team’s counting scores had to be achieved using an ‘old’ gun, that is one that recoils.

The night’s highest team scores, both gun and handicapped, came from the Hounds who finished more than five shots ahead of their closest challengers. Paul Huddlestone topscored for them with a near faultless 25.4, Richard Greene added a 23.1, Lee Foskett scored 23, Roy Pritchard added 22.2, Richard Allen did very nearly as well with his 22.1 whilst Callum Garner’s 22 wasn’t enough to place him amongst the counting scores. There were also noncounting 21.1s from Leanne Simpson and Claire Barnes whilst Brian Allen’s 21 and Chris Allen’s 20 had to count as they were the only two to shoot with an old gun. All of which combined to give them a gun score of 156.8 and a total of 167.8 after their handicap was added.

Second place went to Smallshaws who, with just six of their own shooters present, were given dispensation to recruit, for one night only, the solitary Ashby Road ‘B’ shooter in attendance. Rob Wainwright’s 24.1 was their best individual score, Jackie West contributed a 23, Simon Grewcock score 21.1 with an old gun, and there was a John Stevenson 21, all of which allowed their adopted shooter, Jeff Goodyer, to close for them with the 22 that took them to 151.3, handicapped to 162.3.

The efforts of the third placed Ashby Road team were bookended by their best two scores, starting with Richard White’s 23.3 and finishing with Pete Finney’s 25.3, but there were many good scores in between. Alison Finney’s 23.2 was the best of the rest, Lewis Raine scored an excellent oldgun 22, Innes Droomer did very nearly as well with the old gun to score 23, and Bertie Bugden added a 21 to help them to 155.8, handicapped to 159.8.

The Sporting Lions came next with a total of 157.4, handicapped to 157.4, that started with Glen Dainter’s flawless 25.5 and also included Taryn Cockerill’s 24.2, Melanie Jenkins’ 23.3, Jeanette Mulkeirins’ 23.2, and the 21.1s of Todd Astill (scored with an old gun) and Karl Bunting. This put them two ahead of the Trojans who had to make do with a total of 155.4 despite Chris Sills’ 25.3, Phil Hood’s 24.4, Rebecca Horsler’s 23.3, Dave Brown’s 22.2, Mark Smith’s 22.1, and Rob Forman’s old gun 21.1.

Hinckley Phoenix achieved the lowest gun score of the teams present, just 146.5, which included Karen Bown’s 23.1, the 22.2 of Samantha Haskins, Barry Robinson’s 22.1, Craig Bown’s 21.1 and the 21s of Luke Bown, Colin Rusted (old gun), and Ian Ratheram. However, as disappointing as this was their handicap of 7.3 took them to 153.8 and helped them to avoid the bottom spot, which went to Taylor & Ayre who finished on a handicapped total of 153.3 despite Giles Headley’s 24.4, Alyson Steele’s 23.2, and the 22.1s of Jim Gibney and Glen Foxon.

As enjoyable as the shooting competition was the running of a raffle draw, with prizes donated by the shooters and consisting largely of under-appreciated Christmas gifts, was probably the most eagerly anticipated contest of the night, raising £112 for the local air ambulance.